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  THE 
  VEETEBEATE 
  FAUNA 
  OF 
  "DEE." 
  

  

  allowed 
  to 
  live, 
  i.e., 
  that 
  the 
  "balance 
  of 
  nature" 
  should 
  not 
  

   be 
  overturned 
  by 
  man. 
  No 
  lesson, 
  however 
  severe, 
  seems 
  

   enough 
  to 
  cause 
  such 
  people 
  to 
  reflect 
  upon 
  their 
  actions 
  in 
  

   this 
  matter. 
  The 
  wide, 
  prolonged, 
  and 
  irrepressible 
  (in 
  so 
  far 
  

   as 
  man 
  is 
  concerned) 
  ravages 
  of 
  field 
  mice 
  upon 
  pasture 
  lands, 
  

   the 
  equally 
  destructive 
  habits 
  of 
  the 
  smaller 
  song 
  birds 
  when 
  

   allowed 
  to 
  multiply 
  unduly, 
  and 
  the 
  now 
  almost 
  chronic 
  

   " 
  grouse 
  disease 
  " 
  does 
  not 
  appeal 
  to 
  those 
  of 
  Nimrodian 
  

   proclivities. 
  Seeing 
  that 
  rapacious 
  birds 
  can 
  at 
  least 
  keep 
  

   such 
  scourges 
  at 
  the 
  minimum, 
  surely 
  they 
  ought 
  to 
  be 
  

   allowed 
  to 
  fulfil 
  their 
  mission 
  in 
  nature. 
  But 
  no 
  ; 
  " 
  Hawks 
  

   kill 
  game 
  " 
  we 
  are 
  told, 
  and 
  that 
  being 
  so, 
  " 
  we 
  shall 
  continue 
  

   to 
  kill 
  Hawks 
  whatever 
  is 
  said 
  to 
  the 
  contrary." 
  

  

  The 
  Peregrine, 
  although 
  thus 
  persecuted, 
  still 
  continues 
  in 
  

   " 
  Dee." 
  A 
  few 
  pairs 
  breed 
  along 
  the 
  sea 
  cliffs 
  and 
  on 
  some 
  

   of 
  the 
  inaccessible 
  "rock 
  faces" 
  amongst 
  the 
  mountains, 
  

   and 
  considering 
  the 
  struggle 
  for 
  existence 
  which 
  the 
  bird 
  

   has 
  to 
  uphold, 
  it 
  is 
  no 
  wonder 
  that 
  few 
  of 
  the 
  sites 
  that 
  

   used 
  to 
  be 
  tenanted 
  by 
  the 
  Peregrine 
  are 
  any 
  longer 
  occupied 
  ; 
  

   too 
  soon, 
  alas, 
  the 
  bird 
  will 
  have 
  to 
  be 
  numbered 
  amongst 
  

   those 
  that 
  were. 
  

  

  Falco 
  subbuteo, 
  Linn. 
  The 
  Hobby. 
  

  

  This 
  bird 
  is 
  very 
  rarely 
  seen 
  along 
  the 
  Scottish 
  east 
  

   coast. 
  Within 
  " 
  Dee 
  " 
  it 
  was 
  obtained 
  first 
  in 
  1863, 
  

   when 
  an 
  immature 
  specimen 
  was 
  brought 
  to 
  me. 
  It 
  had 
  

   been 
  caught 
  by 
  a 
  fisherman 
  while 
  prosecuting 
  his 
  calling 
  

   a 
  few 
  miles 
  off 
  Aberdeen. 
  In 
  the 
  autumn 
  of 
  1868, 
  another 
  

   was 
  found 
  dead 
  near 
  Kittybrewster 
  railway 
  station, 
  Aber- 
  

   deen. 
  It 
  was 
  brought 
  to 
  the 
  writer, 
  and 
  the 
  same 
  

   season 
  one 
  was 
  shot 
  on 
  the 
  Broad 
  Hill, 
  Aberdeen, 
  by 
  the 
  

   late 
  A. 
  Mitchell, 
  Castle 
  Street, 
  Aberdeen. 
  In 
  May, 
  1870, 
  

   one 
  was 
  killed 
  at 
  Fraserburgh, 
  and 
  was 
  in 
  the 
  possession 
  of 
  

   the 
  same 
  gentleman. 
  Both 
  these 
  examples, 
  along 
  with 
  

   many 
  other 
  ornithological 
  rarities, 
  got 
  scattered 
  before 
  Mr. 
  

   Mitchell's 
  death, 
  and 
  now 
  no 
  one 
  seems 
  to 
  know 
  what 
  

   became 
  of 
  them. 
  On 
  July 
  5th, 
  1870, 
  one 
  was 
  shot 
  near 
  

   Fraserburgh, 
  and 
  sent 
  to 
  me 
  ; 
  also 
  one 
  killed 
  by 
  Mr. 
  J. 
  Mutch, 
  

   keeper, 
  at 
  Pitfour, 
  July 
  15th, 
  1897, 
  who 
  very 
  kindly 
  presented 
  

   it 
  to 
  me. 
  One 
  was 
  killed 
  at 
  Aden, 
  June 
  1st, 
  1898, 
  and 
  is 
  now 
  

  

  